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Industry should help stop cellphone thefts

I read your cover story about cellphones with excitement. Finally, someone in San Francisco is willing to take on cellphone companies. While campaigning to be the District 5 supervisor, I brought up disabling, or bricking, cellphones when they are stolen as a way of turning the conversation away from blaming the victim (if I have to hear one more police officer tell me not to use a mobile device in public, I’m going to scream) to blaming the real criminal — the telecommunications industry.

District Attorney George Gascón hits the nail on the head when he points out that it’s purely a profit motive. While our cellphones could easily be disabled when stolen, it would mean fewer sales of cellphones. Glad someone finally called out the greed and asked for some responsibility on the phone companies’ part.

I’d love to see San Francisco be the leader in the U.S. for a change that would make us safer.

Parking is vital to shops

As a 20-year resident of the area and now a business owner on Polk Street, I find the idea to remove parking spaces for bike traffic just dumb. After being on Polk for many years, I feel that getting rid of the parking spots will make parking in the area worse for everyone. Not only businesses, but residents also. I am inclined to agree that maybe Larkin Street should get the expanded bike lanes instead. It is way less trafficked, so that would be a better solution.

Also, removing the Muni lines on Polk and having the Police Department start ticketing the large amount of double parkers would really help. I regularly see Muni lines at bus stops sitting and clogging traffic for cars and bikes alike.

I would say that nearly 35 percent of my customers drive in from outside the area. I surveyed my customers, and those who drive have said they will no longer come to my business.

Brian MonnierSan Francisco

Transparency at Vatican: Make church less opaque

The core of the problem with the Roman Catholic Church is best illustrated by the use of the word “conclave” when referring to how new popes are chosen. Its Latin origin means “with key,” meaning a locked door for a private, separate and secretive meeting.

What the church needs is a “sine-clave,” that is, “without key,” implying an open, accessible and participative process.

The Roman Catholic Church will never solve its problems without first abandoning its authoritarian, royal system of governance and embracing full democracy so that all of its adherents, including laypeople, can participate openly and honestly.

Michael McGreevySan Francisco

Drunken driving: Help stop DUI drivers

A horrific crash caused by an allegedly drunken driver killed a mother and her two sons in Daly City earlier this month.

Apparently the man had been drinking for hours at a local pizza parlor and had more than twice the legal blood alcohol level when he left.

Doesn’t a business have any responsibility for serving an obviously intoxicated customer? I hope this incident inspires some policy changes, not only at that pizza chain, but any establishment that serves alcohol.

It’s simply not acceptable for these businesses to make a profit selling copious quantities of alcohol with no responsibility for the consequences of their drunken customers.